Randomised trial, 2025
Can muscle relaxation exercises reduce PMS symptoms and tendencies toward violence?
Yes, in this trial, women who did progressive muscle relaxation exercises for eight weeks had notably lower PMS symptoms and lower violence-tendency scores than women who did not.
What they did
A randomised controlled trial in southeastern Turkey studied 106 women with PMS, split into 53 who did progressive muscle relaxation exercises (PMRE) for eight weeks and 53 who did not. Researchers compared PMS symptoms and scores on a violence tendency scale before and after, using statistical tests including t-tests and multivariate analysis.
What they found
Women who did the relaxation exercises had significantly lower post-test scores on both the PMS scale and the violence tendency scale than the control group. The exercise explained 75.5% of the variance in the outcome measured (partial eta squared = 0.755), which the authors describe as a high level of effectiveness.
What it means for you
A structured relaxation exercise program may meaningfully ease PMS symptoms and reduce tendencies toward violence linked to PMS, with a fairly large effect in this study. The study was done in one region with specific participants, so results may not apply everywhere, and more research in other populations would help confirm the findings.
106 (53 vs 53)
Total participants
8 weeks
Duration
0.755
Variance explained (partial eta squared)
About the study
- Original title
- The effects of progressive muscle relaxation exercises on premenstrual syndrome symptoms and violence tendencies in women: a randomized controlled trial
- Authors
- Toğluk S, Gül S
- Journal
- BMC women's health
- Year
- 2025
- Study design
- Randomised trial
- Participants
- 106
- What was tested
- Progressive muscle relaxation exercises (PMRE) for 8 weeks, compared to no intervention
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1186/s12905-025-03712-4
Topics
Related studies
Survey study, 2025
How do social support and physical activity affect PMS?
Cohort study, 2026
Do sleep, exercise, and diet quality affect period pain, heavy bleeding, and PMS in midlife?
Randomised trial, 2026
Does yoga or Pilates help reduce PMS symptoms?
Randomised trial, 2026
Does aerobic or resistance exercise reduce anxiety in women with PMS?
Systematic review, 2026
Do mindfulness and relaxation techniques help with PMS symptoms?
Randomised trial, 2026
Does yoga reduce PMS symptoms?